Fans have become accustomed to waiting a few years between Mew albums, so today’s announcement has come as a welcome surprise. Front man Jonas Bjerre explained that the tour that accompanied 2015’s ‘+-‘ album found the band reaching a creative peak that they felt was too exhilarating to be dampened by a period of extended cave-dwelling. They arrived home with demos that had been written on the road and the spark was lit. They wanted to break the cycle and make an album quickly.

Released via InsideOutMusic, Riverside’s ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ is described by the band as a complementary instrumental album including 13 experimental and highly atmospheric compositions, which showcase their ambient electronic side. Review and photos by Tim Darbyshire.

Warsaw based Riverside’s ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ is a double cd consisting entirely of instrumental pieces recorded over the last few years. Although this release was already in the planning stages before the untimely death of Piotr Grudzinski in February 2016, it now represents a poignant send off to the band’s much missed guitarist.

‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ is the band’s seventh album and contains over 100 minutes of often ambient music spread over two discs. In truth, Riverside fans who already have the band’s cds are only getting four new tracks (around 35 minutes worth). The new tracks are ‘Where The River Flows’, ‘Shine’, ‘Sleepwalkers’ and ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’.

All the tracks from the limited edition bonus cds of ‘Love, Fear And The Time Machine’, and ‘Shrine Of New Generation Slaves’ are included here, and the collection is completed by two 2016 versions of songs from the ‘Rapid Eye Movement’ album. (‘Rapid Eye Movement’ and ‘Rainbow Trip’).

There’s plenty of variety contained in these instrumentals, ranging from the out and out ambient drift of ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ to the upbeat ‘Machines’. ‘Night Session – Part Two’ has a lonesome sax accompanied by an offbeat drum pattern, and ‘Promise’ is a gentle acoustic guitar dominated piece. ‘Sleepwalkers’ is soft techno with an inquisitive synth melody and ‘Rainbow Trip’ is delightfully mellow – the track ‘Where The River Flows’ is included below and gives a fairly good indication of what this release is all about.

‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ should be seen as a bridge between the first six Riverside albums and the next studio release. Taken at face value, this is a smooth compilation of (mostly) relaxed instrumentals with unobtrusive drum beats pinning the music. If this is your introduction to Riverside, I’d recommend you check out the last two cds, 2015’s ‘Love, Fear And The Time Machine’ and 2013’s ‘Shrine Of New Generation Slaves’

The loss of guitarist Piotr Grudzinski might have reduced Riverside to three members, but the good news is they are committed to carrying on as a three-piece, with a live guitarist to be added for gigs. Two shows have already been announced in their native Poland for 25th and 26th February 2017 – marking the anniversary of Grudzinski’s death.

It’s clear that this latest King Crimson offering from DGM/Panegyric is no normal live album. Based on their 2015 performances, the lavish packaging contains 3 audio cds, 2 dvds, a blu-ray disc and a 36-page booklet with tour photographs. This is the ‘Tour Edition’, also available is a 3cd/1 blu-ray standard version…………Review by Tim Darbyshire.

‘Radical Action (to Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind)’ is actually the third live offering since Robert Fripp reassembled King Crimson in its current incarnation in 2014. 2015’s ‘Live At The Orpheum’ (recorded in 2014) was a 40 minute mini-album taster, and this year’s ‘Live In Toronto’ (recorded in 2015) is described as a ‘full raw concert performance from a single night in Toronto’ in the ‘Radical Action’ press release.

Things are certainly different this time – this is King Crimson after all. The audio cds are presented as individually themed ‘virtual studio albums’ with no audible audience – featuring a representative example of every song/piece performed by King Crimson on its 2015 tours of the UK, Canada and Japan.

‘Radical Action’ is described by the band as ‘the most fully realised audio and visual statement from this band to date’. The visual content is taken from a complete filmed performance in Japan in 2015 and is offered in high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround audio. The blu-ray also features ‘picture off’ mode, allowing the listener to enjoy the hi-res stereo/5.1 surround versions without the picture and in one continuous sitting. For information, there is nothing on the dvds that isn’t on the blu-ray, but I guess they are included for those people who don’t own a blu-ray player.

So what about the actual music? The set list is expansive, full of classic Crimson – ‘Red’,
‘One More Red Nightmare’, ‘Epitaph’, ‘Starless’, ‘The Court of The Crimson King’ and ’21st Century Schizoid Man’, all perfectly executed of course – unsurprisingly the quality of the musicianship is peerless. Early versions of new songs are also aired – ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Radical Action’ – which are yet to be recorded. Only the 1980s era is ignored, with no songs from any of the three albums ‘Discipline’, ‘Beat’ or ‘Three Of A Perfect Pair’.

The three cds are ‘themed’, CD1 is called ‘Mainly Metal’, CD2 ‘Easy Money Shots’ and CD3 is ‘Crimson Classics’. It’s a different approach, if you prefer some crowd noise you’ll need to watch the blu-ray/dvd. It also means the running order is tampered with – again if you’re after a single concert from start to finish, the double cd ‘Live In Toronto’ would fit the bill perfectly.

The video style of the performance (filmed in Takamatsu, Japan) is creative. As there’s very little movement on stage, most of the time during the video we are treated to two or three images overlayed, presumably designed to make the film more interesting – see the video clip of ‘Easy Money’ included below.

Watching the three front-line drummers/percussionists interacting is fascinating at times…….Bill Rieflin in the centre of the three often seems to be in the eye of the storm as thunder and chaos in the shape of Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison surrounds him. He also provides the much needed mellotron sounds for the likes of ‘Starless’ and ‘The Court Of The Crimson King’. The back-line is made up of bass/stick player extraordinaire Tony Levin, Mel Collins (returning to the fold) on saxes and flute, Jakko Jakszyk providing vocals and guitar, and of course, Robert Fripp on guitar and keyboards.

It’s hard to fault King Crimson/DGM/Panegyric’s output these last few years. The super deluxe box sets they have been producing – often running to nearly 30 discs – are a fan’s dream (if a little hard on the wallet) and are testament to Robert Fripp finally owning and controlling his back catalogue after a lengthy legal battle.

The entire product is superbly put together, both musically and in the way it’s packaged – even if the cyclops image isn’t to everyone’s taste! The discs are housed in 2 triple digipacks and fit neatly into the rigid outer case with the accompanying 36 page booklet. I’m sure if you were lucky enough (as I was) to see any of the shows in the last couple of years, ‘Radical Action (to Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind)’ will be a welcome addition to your collection.

Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part One
Radical Action (to Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind)
Meltdown
Radical Action II
Level Five
The Light of Day
The Hell Hounds of Krim
The ConstruKction of Light
The Talking Drum
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part Two

CD 2: Easy Money Shots

Peace
Pictures of a City
Banshee Legs Bell Hassle
Easy Money
VROOOM
Suitable Grounds for the Blues
Interlude
The Letters
Sailors Tale
A Scarcity of Miracles

CD 3: Crimson Classics

Red
One More Red Nightmare
Epitaph
Starless
Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row
The Court of The Crimson King
21st Century Schizoid Man

Blu-Ray and DVD 1/2: Audio/Video performances:

Two DVDs featuring a complete filmed concert performance in stereo and 5.1 surround

Threshold Soundscape,
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part One
Pictures of a City, Peace
Radical Action (to Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind)
Meltdown, Radical Action II
Level Five, Epitaph
The Hell Hounds of Krim
The ConstruKction of Light
Scarcity of Miracles
Red
VROOOM
Banshee Legs Bell Hassle
Easy Money, Interlude
The Letters, Sailor’s Tale
The Light of Day
The Talking Drum
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part Two
Starless
Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row
In the Court of the Crimson King
21st Century Schizoid Man
Suitable Grounds for the Blues
One More Red Nightmare

Frost*, the progressive supergroup formed in 2004 by producer/songwriter Jem Godfrey, has returned in 2016 with an exciting new album – their third, ‘Falling Satellites’. For the current Frost* line-up, Godfrey is joined by John Mitchell, Nathan King and Craig Blundell.

To support the album the band have just released “Numbers” as a single.

Released May 27th on the band’s own English Electric label, ‘Folklore’ is Big Big Train’s much anticipated follow up to 2013’s impressive ‘English Electric (Full Power)’. Can they do it again? First impressions by Tim Darbyshire

Big Big Train are purveyors of modern progressive soul music, making classic pastoral-style English progressive rock with each track telling a story – fitting for an album called ‘Folklore’. According to vocalist David Longdon, ‘Folklore’ completes the ‘Albion trilogy’ of releases, the others being ‘The Underfall Yard’ (2009) and ‘English Electric (Full Power)’ (2013)

Ideally I would prefer to review this album in 6 months’ time, once it has had the chance to ingrain itself into my psyche. Big Big Train are an acquired taste – a band that demands repeated listens. For instance, I didn’t fall for ‘English Electric’ instantly, but now regard it as essential. ‘Folklore’, after 5 or 6 proper listens is already growing. Initially it didn’t appear to hit the consistent peaks, but each listen is revealing more to me. Either way, it’s already my favourite album of 2016.

The title track kicks off proceedings with a folky celtic-flavoured scene setting fanfare. (See video below). Things quieten down for the start of ‘London Plane’ (with plenty of flute and Hammond) and the gentle ‘Along The Ridgeway’ with beautiful acoustic and brass passages, leads into ‘Salisbury Giant’, a short piece led by Rachel Hall’s violin and David Longdon’s plaintive repetitive vocal. Equally evocative is ‘The Transit of Venus Across the Sun’, again with more colliery style brass, which contains a first for Big Big Train – a trancey chanted chorus sung in Latin.

‘Wassail’ brings us back into familiar territory, having been issued on the 2015 EP of the same name. ‘Wassail’ is probably the most upbeat song on the album and refers to the English pagan ritual of praying in order to ward off evil spirits and bless the apple trees so that they would yield a bountiful crop.

Only Big Big Train could get away with a 7 part track about a pigeon (‘Winkie’) saving the lives of the crew of a downed World War II plane. Told in just over 8 minutes, ‘Winkie’ seems rushed, even though it’s an interesting story. ‘Brooklands’ – about the now disused racetrack in Southern England clocks in at just over 12 minutes and showcases the the whole range of the band’s sound. The album’s closer ‘Telling The Bees’ is currently the stand-out track for me (along with ‘The Transit of Venus Across the Sun’) – possibly because it’s the simplest and most direct. It recounts the tradition of bee-keepers telling their bees what’s happening in their lives, and one case in particular where on the bee-keeper’s death, the bees left the hives and went to his funeral.

There are many standout performances contained in the 70 minutes of ‘Folklore’, with vocalist David Longdon – who was the other candidate when Genesis chose Ray Wilson to replace Phil Collins – shining throughout. Rikard Sjoblom provides fluid guitar lines to compliment Dave Gregory’s jazzier input, and Greg Spawton’s deep bass pedals really add warmth to a beautifully recorded album.

These are busy days for the band, with ‘Folklore’ closely following the release of the live in the studio blu-ray ‘Stone And Steel’. An EP of ‘Folklore’ leftovers (possibly to be titled ‘Skylon’) is in the works, and a re-recording of their early albums is planned for next year with the release of a 3 cd set ‘The Station Masters’.

Having successfully transitioned into a live band with a series of sold out dates in London in 2015, Big Big Train are planning more live dates in 2017.

CD tracklist:
Folklore
London Plane
Along The Ridgeway
Salisbury Giant
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
Wassail
Winkie
Brooklands
Telling The Bees

The double vinyl version also includes ‘Mudlarks’ and ‘Lost Rivers Of London’ which were both previously available on the ‘Wassail’ cd EP.

A high resolution audio version of the album is available from the band’s Bandcamp site.

For more detailed information, read David Longdon’s Folklore blogs where he describes the background stories to ‘Telling The Bees’, ‘Folklore’, ‘Winkie’, and ‘Wassail’. Similarly, Greg Spawton’s blog details the stories behind the other tracks on ‘Folklore’.

The ‘Folklore’ sleeve liner notes have been made available as a downloadable PDF file here.

UK prog-metallers Haken have just released ‘Affinity’ on Inside Out, and I’m pleased to say, they’ve maintained the quality of their recent output – 2013’s ‘The Mountain’ and 2014’s ‘Restoration’ EP. – Review by Tim Darbyshire

Housed in a retro 1980s style sleeve, ‘Affinity’ is loosely a concept album based around the evolution of computing and humanity, the relationship between man and machine, human behaviour, modern society and and it also asks if artificial intelligence will ever surpass the human capacity to create/recreate life. According to vocalist Ross Jennings, ‘Affinity’ “is more like a soundtrack to a series of recurring themes than an actual concept album.”

Having enjoyed the 1970s style of ‘The Mountain’ and ‘Restoration’ – especially the nods towards Gentle Giant style vocal harmonies – I was unsure what a Haken album influenced by 1980s sounds – 90125 Yes, Toto, King Crimson Discipline era etc – would sound like. What Haken have delivered is another quality album that just sounds like Haken to me.

Kicking off with ‘Initiate’, ‘1985’ and ‘Lapse’, we’re in familiar territory from the off – crazy rhythms, great basslines, quirky time signatures, anthemic vocals, all full of energy. ‘1985’ pays homage to Yes ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’ territory. The centrepiece (and longest track at over 15 minutes) is ‘The Architect’ featuring guest vocals from Einar Solberg of Leprous. This song encompasses the full range of Haken’s sound – it’s huge sonically with plenty of subtlety contrasting with the full on aural battery. ‘Earthrise’ continues in anthemic style, ‘Red Giant’ slows things down slightly before the pace picks up again with ‘The Endless Knot’. ‘Bound By Gravity’ closes out the album with a relatively slower feel, proving again that Haken aren’t just about intricacy and heaviness.

The limited edition double CD contains an instrumental version of the CD, an enjoyable if not essential listen. The European version is housed in an attractive hard digibook, whereas disappointingly in comparison the US version comes in a soft digipak.

The band are currently on tour in Europe, hopefully they will return to Canada/US later this year to promote ‘Affinity’

The Mute Gods – ‘Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me’ is Nick Beggs’ collaboration with Roger King (keyboards) and Marco Minneman (drums) and is out now on Inside Out Records – Review by Tim Darbyshire

Nick Beggs is a busy man. Aside from touring and appearing on record with Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson seemingly almost constantly between 2009 and 2016, forming and recording an album with the excellent band Lifesigns (2013), joining Belgian band Fish On Friday (2014) – and these are just the prog related projects – he has now formed The Mute Gods with Roger King and Marco Minneman.

The division of labour is intriguing – Nick of course plays bass and stick but also handles the vocal duties as well as contributing guitar and keyboards. Roger provides keyboards, guitars, backing vocals and production, and Marco also contributes guitar along with his distinctive drumming style and ‘sound design’. Contributions are also made by Frank Van Bogaert, Nick D’Virgilio, Adam Holzman, Gary O’Toole, Rob Reed and Ricky Wilde.

Nick Beggs has spent a lot of time on tour with Roger (Steve Hackett) and Marco (Steven Wilson) over the last few years, and the result of this collaboration with these talented artists is a concept album of sorts – “a rather disgruntled rant at the dystopia we’ve created for ourselves and our children” according to Nick on The Mute Gods website. Much of the subject matter concerns governments, corporations, religion and news media – conspiracies, cover-ups, scaremongering – and the fact we seem to be losing sight of what’s important in this life.

As expected from such a trio, the album is stylistically varied, experimental in places and expertly delivered. The music ranges from out and out prog (‘Swimming Horses‘, ‘Strange Relationship’) to catchy pop rock (‘Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me‘), with mellow interludes (‘Father Daughter‘, ‘Nightschool For Idiots‘) and extensive instrumental workouts (‘In The Crosshairs‘). As with a lot of this kind of music, the cd is a grower….more and more detail is heard and appreciated on the second, third and fourth listens. The highlight for me is the beautiful closing song ‘Father Daughter‘ (see video below) featuring Nick’s eldest daughter Lula. To me this sounds like a reconnection and hope for the future after the preceding disconnection.

It’s a bit of a no-brainer that most fans of modern progressive rock will enjoy this album – and rightly so. Nick deserves to be in the limelight for a change after many years backing up high profile musicians. Available now in limited edition digipack cd and double vinyl.

Ex-Pure Reason Revolution leader Jon Courtney has teamed up with Sammi Doll (IAMX) to form BULLET HEIGHT, a new Electronic Rock duo based in Berlin.

The duo are signed to Superball Music and the first offering from their partnership is ‘Bastion’.

Musically, ‘Bastion’ seems to be following on from the electronic style of Pure Reason Revolution’s last album – ‘Hammer And Anvil’, but with heavier tones.

From the Superball Press release:

Los Angeles, CA | January 14, 2016 – Superball Music is extremely pleased to announce the signing of Berlin-based electronic-rock duo BULLET HEIGHT to their worldwide roster. Featuring Sammi Doll (IAMX) and Jon Courtney (Pure Reason Revolution), the two met in Berlin one Halloween night, and shortly after began recording together and creating what is now known as Bullet Height.

Jon comments: “I left London, moved to Berlin, rented a dirt-cheap room in an old DDR building & started battering out the music that would go on to become Bullet Height. I wanted to create something darker & heavier than ever before – I’d always written & produced in the past under no creative constraint & that has continued with this new band. From the first vocal session with Sammi I knew we were onto something…Superball caught wind of things…now here we are!”

Sammi adds: “Jon and I met through producer Tom Bellamy at a dirty rock bar in Berlin on Halloween. He was looking for someone to collaborate on his new music, we met up a few days later and it became clear that this would turn into something much bigger than expected. It was exactly the release I needed at the time and became a bit of personal therapy.”

She adds on the signing: “This wouldn’t be possible without the support and platform of Superball Music who have just signed us on to their label. We are so gracious to have the opportunity to work together, only greater things can come from this.”